Review – The Whispers by Greg Howard (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Magical Realism
Length: 256 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 15, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-0525517498
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 3/5 stars
“Eleven-year-old Riley believes in the whispers, magical fairies that will grant you wishes if you leave them tributes. Riley has a lot of wishes. He wishes bullies at school would stop picking on him. He wishes Dylan, his 8th grade crush, liked him, and Riley wishes he would stop wetting the bed. But most of all, Riley wishes for his mom to come back home. She disappeared a few months ago, and Riley is determined to crack the case. He even meets with a detective, Frank, to go over his witness statement time and time again.
Frustrated with the lack of progress in the investigation, Riley decides to take matters into his own hands. So he goes on a camping trip with his friend Gary to find the whispers and ask them to bring his mom back home. But Riley doesn’t realize the trip will shake the foundation of everything that he believes in forever.”
This was a decent but simple story about a middle grade aged boy who seeks answers to his mother’s disappearance in the woods beyond his house. While I didn’t enjoy it a ton, it was a well done look at young gay boy trying to make sense of the world.
Many years ago, Riley’s mom told him a story about The Whispers in the woods behind his house and how they can grant wishes. Riley decides that maybe the Whispers can help find his mother.
More time is spent with Riley going about his day to day life than anything else. Riley has been taught that his “condition” (the fact that he is gay) is something to be ashamed of and something that needs to be fixed. This story tackles the issue of a pre-teen who knows he is gay but is taught to see it as an evil thing.
This book didn’t have as much magic or adventure as I was hoping for. It focuses more on Riley and his relationship with his friends and family. It was well done but Riley doesn’t venture into the woods until the second half of the book. It is at this point we find out there’s a twist to the story around Riley’s mom.
Parts of this book were pretty sad, this book was also touted as being funny but it didn’t seem funny to me. As I said this wasn’t really a book I enjoyed reading. It just moved too slow and didn’t have all the magic and wonder I was hoping for. It’s pretty depressing at parts as well.
Overall this is an interesting look at a young gay boy growing up in a rural area. The surrounding mystery about his missing mother is somewhat engaging. The story does a good job of tackling the challenges of a young boy growing up gay in a rural area. I do not recommend to those looking for a magical read but I would recommend if you are interested in themes of grief and growing up gay in a rural area.
